278 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



simultaneously, the present and the coming. The latter, however, 

 is some eight or nine hours less advanced than the former. When 

 a basidium of the present generation is developing its spores, a 

 basidium of the coming generation is elongating so as to become 

 protuberant, and filling with protoplasm. When the former is 

 getting ready to shed its spores, the latter is developing its sterig- 

 mata. Again, when the former is collapsing after shedding its 

 spores, the latter is beginning to develop its spores. 



We must now turn our attention to what we may call the future 

 generations, i.e. to generations of basidia which will be developed 

 in succession after the coming generation has reached maturity. 

 These later generations are represented by basidia which relatively 

 are much smaller and less conspicuous than those of the coming 

 generation. Eighteen of these elements are to be found in the area 

 we are studying, and they are shown in Fig. 94, A, at d. They 

 have also been set out by themselves at E. Their smaller size, 

 non-protuberancy, and relatively less conspicuous contents enable 

 one to distinguish them from the basidia of the coming generation ; 

 but one cannot with certainty distinguish one future generation 

 from another. The basidia of the future generations are distin- 

 guished from those of the present generation by the absence of spores, 

 and from those of past generations by the absence of the sterigmatic 

 stumps, by their more symmetrical outline, and by their fine 

 protoplasmic contents. The only elements with which the basidia 

 of the future generations can be confused are the paraphyses. 

 However, as a rule, these latter elements, which we shall treat of 

 in greater detail directly, are relatively smaller and, owing to their 

 large vacuoles, contain relatively little protoplasm. In Fig. 94 

 at A, the basidia of future generations (d) are all shaded with 

 dots, while the paraphyses (e, shown by themselves at F) are left 

 altogether unshaded. There can be little doubt that the eighteen 

 basidia which are younger than those of the coming generation, 

 represent several distinct generations. The number could not be 

 less than three, if the same spacing as is seen for the basidia of the 

 present generation is to be maintained. But, since we know from 

 our observations with the horizontal microscope that the spacing 

 of the basidia of future generations is not so compact as that of 



